No Turn on Red

Friends,

As you go through life, you learn to appreciate silver linings. If a hairdresser cuts your hair way too short and it looks bad, that's a bummer; but hey, it will now be longer until your next haircut and thus you'll save some money. If your favorite basketball or football team is in the tank, at least they'll get a good draft pick next year. If a dog poops in your yard... okay, there's not always a silver lining.

I think this might be why I love turning right on red. Red lights are, in general, a bad part of driving. You just have to sit there. Nothing is happening except that you're becoming a little bit later for that meeting. The more you struggle with boredom and impatience, the worse red lights can be.

That's why it's nice that there's a little silver lining-- if you're turning right, go ahead and make that turn. Red light averted!

...unless you live in Pittsburgh.

A Mystery for the Ages
Well, just the age of automobile transportation

For some reason, in the city limits of Pittsburgh, you're almost never allowed to turn right on red. Sometimes, this makes sense for geographical or traffic reasons. But sometimes it doesn't, and I'm going to highlight just one example of this.

It's a spot any Pitt student, or really anyone who's been to Oakland, will recognize immediately: the stretch of Forbes Ave. between the Cathedral of Learning and Schenley Plaza. Here's a map:

Photo credit: Google Maps

Ok, I want to specifically draw your attention to the intersection, when you're driving on Forbes, at the "end" of Schenley Plaza, before you reach the museums. It's the one I've circled below:

Photo credit: Google Maps, Microsoft Paint

Now, I want you to notice three things about this intersection:

• Forbes is one-way. This means that when you are at a red light on Forbes, there is no oncoming traffic; specifically, there is no oncoming traffic that could have a left green arrow to be turning onto Schenley Drive Extension on your right. Furthermore, the traffic driving up Schenley Drive Ext. can't turn left onto Forbes.
• It's not some sort of zany, steep, curvy, blind, wooded, careening, narrow, or otherwise dangerous turn. This is your standard, 90-degree, open-air right turn.
• Sure, pedestrians cross Schenley Dr Ext. But when Forbes Ave. drivers have a green light is the ideal time for those people to walk, just as at any stoplight. When the traffic perpendicular to you is stopped, you walk across. As for pedestrians crossing Forbes itself, this is the same as any red-light scenario--the stopped, slow-moving drivers turning right on red yield to the easy-to-see, slow-moving pedestrians. No danger whatsoever.

So there's absolutely no reason to stop a driver from turning right, during a red light, from Forbes to Schenley Dr Ext. And yet:

Photo credit: Google Maps Street View

Now, you may not be able to read that little white sign next to the traffic light. So I've taken the liberty of zooming in:

Photo credit: Hell

Have you been mystified by the 'No Turn on Red' traffic laws of Pittsburgh? Does your city do this, too?

Do you have any other traffic rule pet peeves?

Comment below!

Jon